Cisco is closing out a robust year of strategic acquisitions by strengthening its foothold in multicloud networking and security with a new high-profile deal.
The tech giant has announced plans to acquire Isovalent, a leading cloud-native security and networking startup known for its groundbreaking work on projects like eBPF, Cilium, and Tetragon. In an official statement, Cisco highlighted the critical role of eBPF, an open-source technology that provides deep insights into the inner workings of operating systems. Cisco sees eBPF as a crucial component in building security systems that protect workloads in real time.
Isovalent’s flagship project, Cilium, is designed to enhance visibility within cloud-native applications by monitoring traffic between containers. Cilium has become the default connectivity and security layer for major platforms like Google Kubernetes Engine, Google Anthos, and Amazon EKS Anywhere. Another key project, Tetragon, provides security controls that protect workloads during execution by gathering vital information about an application’s internal processes.
This acquisition is set to bolster Cisco’s “Security Cloud,” an AI-driven, cloud-delivered integrated security platform. Tom Gillis, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Security Business Group, emphasized that establishing a robust hybrid and multicloud security capability is essential for reducing operational complexities for customers.
Cisco has also expressed a strong commitment to continuing and enhancing the open-source initiatives pioneered by Isovalent. By combining Isovalent’s expertise with Cisco’s resources, the partnership aims to create innovative multicloud security and networking features. Isovalent’s Cilium Mesh will complement Cisco’s software-defined networking offerings, while eBPF will take advantage of hardware acceleration for networking tasks. Additionally, the integration of threat intelligence from Cisco Talos will strengthen security across various cloud environments.
This acquisition is part of a broader strategy by Cisco to expand its security portfolio, marking the eleventh acquisition by the company in 2023 alone, six of which focused on security. The year began with Cisco’s plan to acquire Valtix, a cloud network security startup, followed by the purchase of cloud security software company Lightspin in March, and Armorblox in May, which contributed AI-driven enhancements to Cisco’s Security Cloud. In July, Cisco further strengthened its security capabilities by acquiring Oort, an identity threat detection and response startup. The most significant deal of the year came in September, when Cisco acquired Splunk for $28 billion.
Upon completion of the acquisition, Isovalent will become part of Cisco’s Security Business Group in the second quarter of 2024 (third quarter of Cisco’s fiscal year). The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
